Don't Dream It's Over
by loverswalk89
Summary: This story follows on from 'Out Of The Darkness' so I'd encourage you to read that before reading this fic. Set two years post NFA, Buffy is a woman on a mission but when that mission forces her back to California and back to the crater formally known as Sunnydale. Some interesting things are about to happen to our favourite vampire slayer.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; Characters belong to Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy. However this story is my own.

Summary: This story follows on from 'Out Of The Darkness' so I'd encourage you to read that before reading this fic. Set two years post NFA, Buffy is a woman on a mission but when that mission forces her back to California and back to the crater formally known as Sunnydale can she face her fears and get the job done?

N/A: Please review :)

* * *

CHAPTER ONE

Buffy sank into a hot bath surrounded by bubbles. She sighed contently as her muscles eased and relaxed. She closed her eyes for a moment before a loud knock on the bathroom door jolted her from her steamy retreat.

"Buffy" Dawn called through the door

She sighed heavily "Yeah"

"I didn't wanna disturb you but you've got a call" Dawn said anxiously

"I'll call them back later" she told her sister sinking back into the bubbles

"It's Andrew" Dawn called again

"Damn it, what is it with that geek and his timing" she mumbled getting out of the bath and opening the door.

She quickly grabbed the cordless phone from Dawn's clutches and put it to her ear.

"Ah número uno" he greeted

"Andrew you better have a damn good reason for calling me" she scolded "You interrupted my 'me' time" she whimpered

"I'm sorry" he apologised quickly "I have some news from across the pond I think you might be interested in"

"Go on" she said curiously.

For the past two years, Andrew had been working on a project for Buffy. They'd received news that Angel and his crew had tried to take down the evil law firm Wolfram and Hart from the inside, causing a hell on earth situation. When Buffy and Faith arrived with a group of Slayers, there was no trace of Angel or his friends in LA.

Andrew then proceeded to tell Buffy that he had found out a few weeks before the big battle that Spike was undead and kicking ass with Angel. There was some reference to Gandalf the White, which Buffy didn't really understand or wanted to the only thing that sunk in was that Spike wasn't dust.

Buffy was worried for her two former vampire lovers and asked Andrew to get on the case and try to find them. At first Andrew was apprehensive but soon got into detective mode and began his search. Although it had been two years Andrew never gave up hope of finding, saying that champions like them would never die. Buffy too held on to the hope that one day they may surface.

"I've found a guy Connor Reilly possible links to Angel" Andrew said trying to sound professional

"Angel's son?" She asked

"Could be, from what we can gather it seems like a firm lead"

"Okay where?" She asked

"Stanford"

"Connecticut?" She asked

"No Stan-ford, California" he corrected

"Okay I'll leave as soon as possible" she said

"I'll book your flights" he said hanging up

Dawn looked at Buffy puzzled "What's going on?"

"I have to leave. There's uh something going down in Stanford" she told her

"Connecticut?" She asked making her older sisters mistake

"California" Buffy shrugged

"But you said you won't go back to Cali for all the tea in England!" Dawn reminded her

"It's tea in china... And I have to" Buffy said pushing past her heading to her bedroom

"Well it would make more sense if it was England you know how those Brits love their tea" said Dawn getting sidetracked Buffy signalled for her sister to turn her back whilst she got dressed

"... But what's so important? And why whenever Andrew calls do you jump to go somewhere and when you come back you're... You're sad and mopey?" She asked turning back round being sure her sister was done dressing.

"It's nothing Dawn" Buffy said getting a dufflebag from her closet and filling it with clothing

"No it's something... What's going on Buffy?" Dawn pleaded her to tell all.

Buffy sighed and stopped filling her bag with items, she took Dawn by the hands and they sat on her bed "Look Dawn, you know that Angel and Spike and the rest of the guys from LA are missing right? We only found Wesley's body" she stiffened at the thought of the man who was once her watcher laying there his eyes closed and still.

"So... You and Andrew have been looking for them?" She asked

"Yeah I didn't wanna bug you or any of the guys with it until I knew there was something to bug you with" she said sadly

"And every time Andrew has sent you to investigate you've not found them? That's why you're sad and mopey when you come home isn't it?"

Buffy nodded "I just need to know what happened to them, we've tried looking in different dimensions but there's been sightings of them here and there. I just don't wanna give up on them" she said sadly

"I get that" Dawn said sympathetically "You love them don't you?"

"Yeah... I do" a small smiled crept upon her face "I will always love Angel and care about him"

"And Spike?" She dared to ask

Buffy paused for a moment "He's my champion"

Dawn hugged her sister "I hope this lead turns out to be something Buffy"

"Me too..." She smiled

"So who's in Cali?" Dawn asked now helping her to pack

"A guy named Connor Reilly, it could be Angel's son" she shrugged

"Well that'll be something if he is" Dawn tried to reassure her

"Yeah... We're running out of leads"

"Ever thought they just don't wanna be found?" Asked Dawn

Buffy smiled brightly "This is Spike remember he's not the hide away type"

"Yeah... But whatever happened to them that night in LA could've changed things. I just don't want you to come home all mopey and depressed again... I'm just saying prepare yourself"

"I'm prepared... I think... I hope" Buffy whimpered.

XXXXX

The next day Buffy sat aboard her plane awaiting take off, she got a window seat the first time ever seeing as how Dawn had always called shotgun when travelling with her or someone had already occupied it. She sat there with her seatbelt buckled and listened as the air hostesses pointed out the emergency exits. She stared out of the window at the runway, mentally preparing herself for any and all possibilities.

As she took off and looked at clouds as she flew over the vast countrysides of England she felt her eyes slowly droop and close as she fell into a deep sleep.

*_Buffy and Spike are the only ones left in the hellmouth. Spike is still glowing from the amulet, sending rays of light out into the hellmouth. Buffy stands in front of him, staring, still holding her scythe._

_"Go on, then" he prompts her to leave _

_Buffy panics "No. No, you've done enough. You could still—" _

_"No, you've beat them back. It's for me to do the cleanup" he tells her firmly _

_The walls are crumbling around them._

_Faith calls down to Buffy "Buffy, come on!"_

_"Gotta move, lamb. I think it's fair to say school's out for bloody summer" he smirks observing his handy work _

_"Spike!" Buffy says anxiously _

_"I mean it! I gotta do this" he holds out his hand to stop her_

_Buffy laces her fingers through Spike's, and they burst into flame together. They say joined as the flames take hold _

_Buffy looks into his eyes "I love you"_

_"No, you don't. But thanks for saying it" he says softly _

_Another earthquake hits and Buffy lets go of his hand_

_"Now go!" He orders her _

_ Buffy runs up the stairs*_

Buffy jolts awake to hear the voice of the Captain "We've already started our descent procedure into San Francisco International airport. We expect to land at 9:05pm, as scheduled. If you want to adjust your watch, it is 8:50pm in San Francisco now.

The weather is warm with clear skies and the temperature is 20 degrees Celsius. We wish you a pleasant stay in San Francisco and we hope to see you again very soon. On behalf of all our crew, thank you for choosing our company as your airline today"

Buffy felt a rush of excitement and dread at the thought of being back in California. The place held too many memories of lost battles and even worst fallen soldiers and family members.

XXXXX

She picked up her waiting rental car and headed towards Stanford, The scars on palm of her left hand a lasting memento of her final moments in Sunnydale started to itch on the steering wheel. She turned on the radio to keep her thoughts from running wild. After cheesy pop hit after cheesy pop hit Buffy finally settled on a radio station worth listening to.

"You're listening to SFR 96.2 and here's an oldie for ya" the DJ chirped

As the song began to play Buffy sighed heavily but carried on listening

*_There is freedom within_

_there is freedom without_

_Try to catch a deluge in a paper cup_

_There's a battle ahead _

_many battles are lost_

_But you'll never see the end of the road_

_While you're traveling with me_

_Hey now, hey now_

_Don't dream it's over_

_Hey now, hey now_

_When the world comes in_

_They come, they come_

_To build a wall between us_

_We know they won't win*_

Buffy drove with tears pricking her eyes.

*_Now I'm towing my car_

_there's a hole in the roof_

_my possessions are causing me suspicion but there's no proof_

_in the paper today _

_tales of war and of waste_

_but you turn right over to the T.V. page_

_Hey now, hey now_

_Don't dream it's over_

_Hey now, hey now_

_When the world comes in_

_They come, they come_

_To build a wall between us_

_We know they won't win_

_Now I'm walking again _

_to the beat of a drum_

_And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart_

_Only shadows ahead_

_barely clearing the roof_

_Get to know the feeling of liberation and relief_

_Hey now, Hey now_

_Don't dream it's over_

_Hey now, Hey now_

_When the world comes in_

_They come, they come_

_To build a wall between us_

_You know they won't win_

_Don't let them win_

_Hey now, Hey now_

_Hey now, Hey now_

_Hey now, Hey now_

_Don't let them win_

_They come, They come_

_Don't let them win_

_Hey now, Hey now (yeah)_

_Hey now, Hey now*_

As Buffy pulled up to the dorms of Stanford University the song began to fade. She wiped her tears and leaned over to her dufflebag and pulled out the piece of paper she'd scribbled Connor's address on.

She slipped it in to the pocket of her denim jacket, with one last look at herself in the rear view mirror she got out of the car and headed up to the dorms.

A/N: Song used in this chapter is Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; Characters belong to Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy. However this story is my own.

A/N: please review and let me know what you think!

* * *

CHAPTER TWO

Buffy walked the halls of the dorms, she stopped at 398 and knocked on the door. A young man with floppy brown hair answered the door

"Can I help you?" He asked politely

"Oh boy I hope so..." She murmured, she caught his gaze and quickly spoke "Im looking for Connor Reilly"

"That's me..."

"I need to talk to you" she said softly

"Am I in some sort of trouble?" He asked

"No" she reassured him "I just need some information, can I come in?"

"Uh sure..." He said sheepishly holding his door open to let her in "So what is it I can help you with?" He asked shutting the door behind him.

"I'm looking for someone, I think you might know him? Angel"

"What do you want with him?" He asked in a harsh tone

"I'm an old friend, I've been trying to track him down for some time now" she explained "Do you know where I can find him?"

"Sorry" he shrugged "Don't know a thing" he said smugly

_'Oh my god did I just see a hint of Angelus in him?'_ She thought to herself _'god damn family traits' _

"Okay..." She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt pinning him up against the wall "Look its important I see I need to know if you've seen him!" She yelled

"And I told you I don't know anything!" He yelled back squirming

Buffy sighed heavily and released him. He rubbed his neck where just seconds prior his shirt had been digging in.

"You've got some serious muscles for a girl" he groaned

"Comes with the Slayer package" she whispered heading out of the door.

She reached her car before the tears pricked her eyes once more. Connor ran out after her "Hey! Wait up!"

"What?" She asked "You said you didn't know anything"

"I didn't realise who you were... You're Buffy right?" He asked with a smile

"Yeah... How did you?-"

"I heard about you, you're looking for my dad?"

"Yeah, I need to see him" she told him

"I think we better talk" he said motioning her to follow him back inside.

XXXXX

Connor handed her a glass of water as she sat on a florescent yellow beanbag "Thanks" she smiled sipping it

"So what do you want with my father?" He asked

"I've been trying to find him for two years, after the battle in LA he just seemed to disappear"

Connor stifled a grin "Well you could say that..."

"What happened to him?" Buffy asked

"He was granted the Shanshu" he told her

"What's a San shoe?"

"Not San shoe. Shanshu it's a prophecy... My father a vampire with a soul played a major role in the Apocalypse and received a reward"

"What kind of reward?" She frowned

"He's human..." Connor smiled

"Human?... Oh my god" Buffy's eyes bulged out of their sockets

"It's pretty weird if you ask me..."

"So where is he?" Buffy asked

"He lives here in the city a few miles away... Buffy he has no recollection of his vampire years" Connor told her softly

"He doesn't remember me?" She asked

"He knows about you, I had to fill in the blanks. I didn't really know much about you but Uncle Spike filled him in on a bunch of stuff"

"Spike?"

"Yeah, he's not really my uncle but with my family tree it's just easier to think of him as my wacky British uncle" he smiled

"And where is Spike?" She asked

Connor shrugged "We've not seen him in over a year, I guess seeing my dad all human got to him. I can't say I blame him after their history together it's no wonder he's a little jealous"

Buffy chuckled "Just don't tell him that"

"I know right?" Connor laughed "I could take you to see my dad?"

"Sure..."

XXXXX

Buffy pulled up outside of 1727 Maple Street and looked up at the grand house with a dim light coming from what she guessed to be the living room.

"Looks like he's home" Connor smiled, getting out of the car.

Buffy followed him as he tapped on the front door and waited.

Angel came to the door and smiled fondly at his son "Connor, good to see you buddy. What's with the late night visit?" He asked

"Dad... I want you to meet somebody. This is Buffy" Connor smiled

Buffy coyly smiled at the dark haired man.

"Well nice to meet you Buff... Wait Buffy? The Buffy?" He asked

"The one and only" she grinned

"You guys better come in" he said stepping aside to let them through.

XXXXX

Angel, Buffy and Connor sat around the dinning room table in awkward silence.

"So Dad. I thought you might have a few questions for Buffy here" Connor piped up

"I do... Believe me I do but I'm having trouble processing them into sentences" he told them

"It's okay, take your time I know this is probably weird for you" Buffy smiled

"No more than its weird for you, I mean you know me but I don't remember you" he said sadly

"Bit of a shock to the system that you're human but I'm dealing"

"I'm gunna leave you guys to talk" said Connor slipping out of the room

"So..." Buffy sighed "I guess you've got a few questions for me huh?"

"Maybe a few" he smiled

"Shoot"

"I thought Spike was exaggerating when he said you were the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen" Angel smirked

"Well... Thank you?" Buffy blushed

"So you dated me?" He asked

"Yeah... It was a rocky relationship to say the least" she grinned

"Yeah Spike tried to fill me in as best he could... Mentioned something about fighting and shagging... Maybe it's not the best idea to use his phrases"

"Maybe... But yes we dated for a few years, on my seventeenth birthday we... Uh... Made love and you lost your soul. A price you had to pay for your one moment of true happiness" she said sadly "You went evil, killed my Watcher's girlfriend and tried to destroy the world. I killed you sent you to hell and a few months later you came back we were friends at first" she chuckled a little "Until Spike kindly pointed out we'd never be just friends, he knew we were still in love with each other way before either of us admitted it to one another..."

"Spike said I left you"

"You did, for my own good... To give me a normal life" She said sadly

"And how did that work out for you" he asked

"Not so much normal"

"I see"

"I tried looking for you after we received word about what went down in LA, never found any solid proof you were alive until now"

"If I'd of known you were looking I would've reached out to you" he told her

"Thank you..."

"Buffy can I ask you something?"

"Sure" she smiled brightly

"It's just Spike told me that you and I are supposed to be together..."

"He did?"

"It's one of the first things he told me. He said that now I have a beating heart that we were perfect for each other"

"Angel, a few years ago I would've been the happiest girl in the world to know that you've become human again... Not that I'm not happy for you but-"

"I know what you mean" he smiled

"I used to spend hours upon hours fantasising about you with a heartbeat, you'd come to me and tell me you loved me and that we could finally be together..." She reminisced

"But?"

"So much has changed, we're not the same people we once were. I mean you don't even remember me" she explained "Plus I don't think your wife would be too happy if you ran off with the first slayer you meet" she said gesturing to his wedding ring

"What's she like?" She asked

"Nina? She's beautiful, smart and funny. And a werewolf" he smiled

"So you're not so normal either" she grinned back at him

"So it would seem, she's on a retreat right now. Learning how to control the wolf inside, she's doing well"

"Good I'm glad to hear it"

"So any man in your life? A husband? A boyfriend?" He asked

"No... I uh after my history with men. I just wanna focus on Buffy for a while"

"That's smart" he complimented "Spike did say you were a brainy bint.. His words not mine"

Buffy smiled brightly "Sounds like Spike"

"He loves you" Angel blurted

"Does he?" She asked

"Of course... He never told me much about the two of you, just that you had a thing"

"Yeah, I hurt him pretty badly"

"That's not how he tells it. He said that he hurt you in the worst possible way and he'd never forgive himself" Angel told her

"I forgave him... Eventually I forgave him" she murmured

"Whenever he spoke about you his eyes used to light up like a kid on Christmas morning seeing all of the presents under the tree. He loves you more than you could know"

"Believe me I know... It's him that doesn't know my feelings. And oh my gosh how weird is it talking about my feelings for Spike with you" she said going beat red

"I know that we probably couldn't have spoke this freely before, but things are different" he smiled

"You're telling me"

They proceeded to talk well into the night, Buffy brought him up to speed on a few things that Spike neglected to tell him or questions he had for her. Before they knew it the sun was rising. Connor had long since fell asleep on his father's couch, he stirred and stretched out and made his way back into the dinning room.

Angel and Buffy were giggling "Looks like you two are all caught up" he said groggily

"Uh yeah" Buffy smiled

"I think I understand a few things better now I've spoken to Buffy here" said Angel

"Well good" said Connor "Took you long enough it's almost 6am"

"Oh my gosh, I didn't mean to keep you up all night Angel. I mean I'm guessing you're not so creature of the night anymore" Buffy apologised

"No it's fine, I didn't realise the time either"

"Well I better be going" said Buffy

"It was good to meet you Buffy" said Angel

"It was good to see you" Buffy grinned. "Angel... I don't suppose you know where Spike is?" She asked

"I'm not sure we haven't heard from him in so long but... Last I heard he was in Ventura County, seemed to be a lot of demon activity there. You should go see if anybody around there knows where he is?" Angel told her

"Yeah... I could do that. Thank you Angel, and thank you too Connor" she said turning her back to leave

"Oh Buffy before you go" Angel stopped her.

Angel dug through a drawer and pulled out a box and handed it to her "It's from Spike, I promised him if I ever saw you that I'd give you this"

"Too chicken to do it himself huh?" She teased the absent blond vampire "Thank you" she said putting the box in her jacket pocket.

"I'll come visit soon" she promised

"I'd like that" said Angel pulling her into a warm embrace "You take care of yourself Buffy"

"You too Angel"

XXXXX

Buffy got in her Ford Mustang, and let out a sigh of relief for Angel. The cellphone in her jacket pocket started to ring, she fumbled trying to retrieve it and pulled out the box that Angel had just given her, quickly she put it on the passenger seat and pulled out her cellphone.

"Hello?" Buffy answered

"Buffy what the hell? You've been gone almost a day and you haven't called me to check in. I was worried" Dawn's shrill voice was heard

"I'm sorry Dawnie" Buffy apologised

"So is everything okay?" She asked calming down

"Yeah... I found Angel"

"You did? Oh my god how is he?" Dawn asked excitedly

"He's human"

"Merciful Zeus" Dawn gasped

"You've been spending way too much time with Xander" Buffy giggled

"Wow" is all Dawn could muster

"I know, I'm wigging too" Buffy told her "He had no memory of being a vampire, Connor and Spike had to fill him in"

"Spike is there?" Dawn asked

"No, Connor said he thought it got a little too much for Spike seeing Angel being all real boy. He skipped out on them about a year ago and they haven't seen him since"

"Oh poor Spike" Dawn said sadly "Do they know where he is?"

"They're not sure but they said that the last they heard from him he was in Ventura County"

"Ventura County?" Dawn questioned "But Buffy that's-"

"I know Dawn" Buffy butted in

"Are you going?" Dawn asked her

"Yeah... I have to Dawnie. I need to know what happened to him and why he hasn't contacted me"

"I get that Buffy, just be careful" Dawn pleaded

"I will" Buffy reassured her younger sibling

"Let me know what you find out" said Dawn

"I will, I've gotta go. I'm gunna try find a motel or something get a few hours sleep and then drive to Ventura County later"

"Okay, I love you"

"Love you too"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; Characters belong to Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy. However this story is my own.

A/N: please review and let me know what you think!

* * *

CHAPTER THREE

Buffy eventually found a motel, she dumped her dufflebag and headed straight for the shower, she stood underneath the warm spray and thought about the night she'd just spent talking with Angel. It still hasn't processed that he was human, she'd dreamt about it so much and now it had become a reality.

The trouble was that she just couldn't see herself with Angel now, too much had happened and too much time had past for them ever to be a couple again. Besides he already had a wife and a son, he'd made a life for himself and she couldn't ruin that for him. She was happy that he'd finally found a woman that he could truly be with one hundred percent.

Soon after stepping in the shower the water ran cold and she got out. Sacrificing what she knew would be a bad hair day by not blow drying her hair, she was all for sleep. She changed into some grey yoga pants and a white cami and flopped onto the bed.

She put her arm under the pillow and sunk her head into it, her mind strayed to thoughts of Spike. She needed to know why he hadn't even tried to contact her, why he didn't see fit to let her know he wasn't dust. Could it be that he didn't love her anymore? that he'd moved on? The more she thought about it the more she convinced herself that Angel must be wrong and that Spike's feelings weren't as strong as they thought.

With a heavy sigh she decided to shut off and try to get some sleep.

XXXXX

Connor sat in his dorm room, with his laptop opened upon his desk. He sat staring at the screen for a few moments. He began to type vigorously on the keyboard filling in the email he was apprehensive to send, checking for spelling mistakes he hit the send button and sighed.

XXXXX

Buffy woke a few hours later feeling a little bit more refreshed than she did this morning. She glanced at the clock which hung on the wall opposite her bed. It was three in the afternoon, she'd managed to get six hours of sleep in.

Her stomach rumbled reminding her she hadn't ate since the airplane food she'd consumed almost twenty four hours ago. She got up out of bed and quickly changed into a pair of tight fitting black jeans and a red sleeveless top. She didn't bother applying any make up, she checked her appearance in the mirror and collected her dufflebag and walked down to her car. She decided on getting a few packets of potato chips and some cans of soda out of the motel's vending machine to tide her over until she reached her destination.

She ripped open a bag of chips and started munching as she started up the car.

"Ventura County here I come" she said to herself.

XXXXX

The drive itself was long and tedious, she wished that she had of taken Dawn up on her offer to come along. Then quickly banished the thought from her head, having Dawn sat beside her fiddling with the radio or worse singing along to every cheesy pop hit on the radio sent shivers down her spine.

Being alone although it may be boring gave Buffy a chance to think about things. It was at some point through her five hour journey that she realised she hadn't spoken to Willow in three months, and Giles for a further three. She missed her friends, she vowed that when she got back to Rome she'd try to organise a reunion with everybody.

She was on the last leg of her road trip when she saw a sign that she hadn't seen in over three years

The sign 'Sunnydale 15' had been unsuccessfully scribbled out.

Buffy bit her lip as tears formed in her eyes.

She thought about when she sat on the school steps at Hemery. A lollipop firmly attached in hand waiting for Tyler, who was due to finish football practice any minute and get down on his hands and knees and beg her to go to the dance with him.

She idly wondered whether he would've showed, if that creepy Watcher hadn't of showed up and changed her world forever.

_"You are the Chosen One, you alone can stop them"_

_"Who?"_

_"The vampires"_

_Buffy considers what the man before her is saying "Huh?"_

She scoffed at the thought of her normal life before and thought about Sunnydale. She was literally at a crossroads.

"Left or right?" She sighed

Left took her to her destination and maybe to Spike. Right took her back home.

She came to a complete stop before her cellphone chimed once more. She dug it out of her jacket pocket and noticed the caller ID 'Faith'

"Hey" she said as cheerfully as she could

"Yo B? Please tell me the rumours are true" she demanded

"And what rumours would that be?" Buffy asked

"Angel's human? How could you not call me?" Faith scolded

"I'm sorry Faith I know you guys were close, it was such a shock. I guess I just didn't think"

"Same old Buffy" Faith spat

"What's that supposed to mean?" Buffy argued

"You're shutting us out, nobody knew about this little mission you've been on for nearly three years! You could have come to me" Faith softened slightly

"I know and I should of.."

"You know what tomorrow is dont you?" Faith questioned her sister slayer

"Saturday?" Buffy said with a hint of uncertainty

"Three years... Ringing any bells B?" Faith said angrily "Where are you anyways?"

Buffy stared in disbelief at the open road before her.

"B?" Faith prompted "Buffy?"

"I gotta go" she said ending the call

She braced herself as she sped in the direction of Sunnydale.

XXXXX

Faith stared at her cellphone "Buffy? Buffy?" She yelled "She hung up"

"What's the big deal Faith? Buffy hangs up on everybody. Remember just a few weeks ago she hung up from all of us on a conference call?" Robin reminded her

"This is different okay?" She told him

"Like how?" Robin raised an eyebrow

"It's a Slayer thing, you wouldn't understand" Said Faith turning her back to him

He spun her around to face him "You know what?" He raised his voice "Im getting pretty sick of 'it's a Slayer thing'. You either want me here or you don't because right now you're pushing me away"

Faith stared at his hands on her shoulders keeping her from running away. He noticed and removed his hands from her

"I know this is hard for you. But this isn't about me or you, this is about Buffy and if I know her the way I think I do... She's getting herself into some serious crap"

XXXXX

Buffy stopped a few hundred yards away from the steel fencing that surrounded the crater formally known as Sunnydale.

She took tentative steps towards the fencing.

_"I'm new. I'm Buffy"_

_"Xander. Is me. Hi"_

The voices seemed to echo around her.

_"Hi, I'm Cordelia"_

_"Miss Summers?"_

_"Good call. I guess I'm the only new kid"_

_"I'm Mr. Giles, the librarian"_

Buffy placed her hands on the fence rattling it a little to see if it would hold her weight as the voices from the past continued to haunt her mind

_"Hi. Uh, Willow right?"_

_"Why? I mean Hi. Did you want me to move?"_

She tried to brush the voices away, but her tears came rolling down her face. As she began to climb

_"Who are you?"_

_"Let's just say I'm a friend"_

As she climbed to the top a vision of the first time she ever saw Spike entered her mind.

_"Nice work love" Spike claps his hands_

_"Who are you?" She asks_

_"You'll find out on Saturday" he smirks coolly_

_"What happens on Saturday?"_

_"I kill you"_

Buffy fell to the floor the other side of the fence, she didn't bother to rise from the floor she curled up in the dirt sobbing. "I killed him" she cried


End file.
